The Jamie C. Brandon Center for Archaeological Research (JCB Center) is affiliated with the Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology (SCA) at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA).
The mission of the JCB Center is to (1) promote and facilitate community service and outreach programs in public archaeology, (2) support student-based pedagogical opportunities in archaeological fieldwork and research, (3) maintain regional archaeological research programs, and (4) manage funds to support student travel to archaeology conferences, independent research, and community-based archaeology projects. The JCB Center also contributes to (5) the UCA archaeology field school.
(1) Community Service and Outreach – Programs focused on community service and outreach seek to engage community members in Arkansas archaeology through public lectures and exhibits, and to assist local communities in historical and archaeological research projects.
- September 2021 – current. The JCB Center continues to collaborate as requested on cemetery survey work in Faulkner County, as well as surrounding counties.
- March 2025. McKinnon presented a proposal of research at the Lewisburg (3CN133) site to members of the Morrilton community.
- Final report of May 2025 field school at the Belmont (3PU1411) was presented to St. Joseph Center of Arkansas and the Little Rock Diocese. The report, 2025 UCA Field School at the St. Joseph Center of Arkansas: Preliminary Investigations at the Belmont Site (3PU1144), housed at the JCB Center.
(2) Student-Based Pedagogy and Research – Student-based pedagogy and research serves as an extension of the SCA department by providing resources, technology, and mentorship directly associated with regional archaeological research undertaken by undergraduate students.
- Historical Cemetery Surveys. Documentation of historic cemeteries with students. This ongoing program provides first-hand experience with technological tools (electrical resistivity and total station) and methods associated with photography, inventory, and preservation.
- West Mexico Collection. Directed study student, Emily Granderson finished her work on the West Mexico Collection in August 2026. Items on loan were returned to UCA Art Collection at that time. Her work is summarized in the report, Conservation of the Riddick Collection of Pre-Columbian Artifacts, housed at the JCB Center.
- Cadron Settlement Artifact Analysis. The JCB Center lab hosed directed study student, Kaylee Guthrie, who worked on material excavated in early 2000s from the Block House at Cadron Settlement Park. Her preliminary work is summarized in the report, Analysis of Block House Excavations at Cadron Settlement Park, housed at the JCB Center.
(3) Research – In addition to student-based research, a variety of long-term research programs are undertaken by the JCB Center. In many cases, these efforts overlap with community service where students are actively involved.
- Arkansas CCC Camps. The JCB Center maintains the website www.arkansas-ccc.com containing archival and research information on camp newsletters, archaeological site forms, recording of archaeological sites, and current state of site conditions. The website is associated with the publication (2026), The Civilian Conservation Corps in Arkansas: From Active Camps to Archaeological and Cultural Landscapes, published by the Arkansas Archeological Survey Research Series
- Bowman (3LR46). A long-term project has been focused on synthesizing and summarizing material from the Bowman site, an important Caddo mound site in SW Arkansas. Research has included students with three directed studies and four conference presentations.
- Robinson Cemetery. Portions of the African American Robinson Cemetery were surveyed as part of a grant awarded by the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant at Arkansas Heritage. Results from this work are summarized in, Report of Partial Survey at the Historic African American Robinson Cemetery in Conway, Arkansas, housed at the JCB Center.
- Lewisburg (3CN133). A long-term program of research was begun during the 2026 UCA field school within portions of the nineteenth and early twentieth century town of Lewisburg along the Arkansas River. Results from the first season are outlined in the report, 2026 UCA Field School at Lewisburg, Arkansas (3CN133) and Old Lewisburg Bay Cemetery (3CN505): Report of Preliminary Investigations, housed at the JCB Center.
(4) Funding and Support – An important component of the JCB Center mission is the availability of funds to support student exposure to archaeological conferences, the support of independent research, and community-based archaeology projects. These efforts are largely associate with two awards:
- The Larry Halsey Archaeology Conference Award is named after Larry Halsey, a supporter of archaeological research, the sharing of archaeological information, and the encouragement of young scholars in the field of archaeology. It provides funding support to undergraduate students focused in archaeology to attend their first archaeology conference.
- The Caddo Archaeology Research Fund (CARF) supports Caddo research from undergraduates, graduate students, Caddo Nation people, professional archaeologists, and avocational archaeologists.
(5) UCA Archaeology Field School – The eighth season in May 2026 had four UCA students, two student volunteers from the 2025 field school, and the landowner’s son (for homeschool credit) participate. Students worked at the former town of Lewisburg (3CN133) and at the historic Old Lewisburg Bay Cemetery (3CN505). These efforts are part of the UCA course Field Archaeology (ANTH 4V80) where students gain credit doing field work at an archaeological site. The JCB Center contributes to the field school through the availability of technology associated with training students for applied careers in archaeology.
More information on the Mission and Organization of the JCB Center, Advisory Board, and Dr. Jamie C. Brandon can be found at https://uca.edu/jcbcenter/